Means for hauling bulk cement



NOV. 19, 1940. -z

MEANS FOR HAULING BULK CEMENT 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed April 28, 1939 INVENTOR.

MA RK L NTZ ATTORNEY.

NGV. 19, 1940. LlNTz 2,222,083

MEANS FOR HAULING BULK CEMENT Filed April 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MARK LIN-r2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 1% 1940 UNITED STATES,

means For: name Bonn cumm- Mark Lintz, San Francisco, (Jall.|!., assignor .to .Calaveras Cement Company, San Francisco, 'CailiL, a corporation of Delaware Application April is, 1939, Serial No. 270,550

- sciaims. ((1214-38) This invention relates to the transportation of cement in bulk, as from the cementplant to storage bins more or less distant from the plant,

' and particularly by motor trucks, though the improved means is also applicable to the bulk transportation of cement by railroadcars and boats. 4

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved, means for :transporting m cement in bulk which will obviate the use of spemen use for 'this purpose, a

cially constructed tank cars or permanent bins on the transporting vehicle as now in general use; ,A feature of the invention is the provision of special portable unit containers which serve the triple purpose of loading, v ransporting and dumping and. thereby overcome the necessity of the usual loading and unloading equipment, bucket elevators, and special trucks etc. in com- Other features and advantages of the inven tion will appear in the following description and I accompanying drawings;

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation showinga motor truck andctrailer loaded with cement carried in my special containers in accordance with invention.

- Figure 2 is a vertical central cross section of one form of my unit container'with conical top and foldable .canvas or fabric bottom.--

' Figure 3 shows the container-of Figure 2 sus- "pended on hoist chains-with foldable canvas bottom extended,

' Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical crossqs'ection.

of a flexible spout and gate as used on the container of Figures? and, 3. i

Eigure 5 is a side view of'theispout and gate of Figured shown'collapsed, part of the structure being broken away to reveal the inner arrangement.

the folded fabric when gate is'closed.

- Before describing the'fdr'awings detail it may bes'aid that in the transportation of bulk cement frointhe mill to various points-it has heretofore been customary to load it into ralll. road cars built especiallyfor the purpose, or

into auto trucks constructed with special bin bodies. The loading was done either by g avity m chute, bucket elevator, or by means of pne atic conveyor, and after arriving 'atZ-the point of destination the unloading was similarly carried out.

5 of special tank or bintype of cars or-trucks and also the use of conveyors or elevators both for fiat-bottomed, or collapsible conical bottomed;

w portable cement containers or relatively l rg Figure 6 is aplan view of Figure 5 showing 3 L Y capacity-say of a size to preferably hold about 8,250 pounds of cement, with the weight of the container to be around 450 pounds. The size and weight of containers is of course'optional, but the above was figured for practicability of handling and size of truck platforms and-legal weight limits for road trucking in ,California.

The containers to be provided with means for readilyattaching hoisting hooks or hoist slings for bodily lifting to and from thertruck or car,

also to be weatherproof and adapted for filling at the top and discharging at the bottom.

By the above means a quantity of the filled unit containers may begotten ready at the mill at any convenient time; and when a shipment is to be made,itwo,-three, or four, of the filled units are picked up one at a time by a hoist and lowered to the flat deck of a truck, railroad car;

" or barge, and at the destination they are similai'ly hoisted and swung-over. the mouth of a 7 receiving bin and their contentsdischarged, In

rough hauling the truck deck may have suitable guard strips or rails to prevent the containers,

irom shiiting due to heavy jarringwhile on in:

clined sections of the road.-

The unit containers to be practicable in carryingout the method require certain features of construction, and several modifications oiit are. shown irithe drawings. V

In Figure 1 is shown a load of cement on motor ,triick and trailer for transportation in accord-' .ance with my method of shipping. The truck is shown at l and the-trailer at 2, hile the cement u'nit containers .are'indicated a 3, each with conical top [and fillingcover 5, and each with hoist engaging lugs 6 adapted to receive the hdoks or chains of a hoist both for loadin and unloading, though in some mills thetrucks with empty containers in place may be backed pp'or ldriven under gravity bins for loading in place, though it is quicker to have a lot of previously filledcontainers ready to swing into place the moment the empty ones are swung ofl.

'Iheunit containers of Figure 1 are definitely in detailed construction may beas shown in Fig ures 2 and 3, wherein the .body' 3 of the container is cylindrical and it is provided with an I t inwardly-turned angle bar 8 around its-lower By the present improvement I avoid the use edge which fits easilyover a positioning sill 9. of ring form bolted to the truck or trailer deck I? as at In. The conical roof 4 of the container has a relatively large circular'filling opening downwardly flanged as at II and covering which is a conical cover 5 also flanged downwardly within flange ll as at l2. Flange II is for the particular purpose of giving rigidity to upper end of the container adjacent the hoisting lugsfi and distribute the strains as the contemplated load of cement in each container is over four tons. A ring l3 on the cover serves for its easy removal with the hoist.

In the design shown in Figures 2' and 3 the container has no rigid bottom, but instead is provided with a heavy foldable fabric cone shaped member I I which, when the container is lowered to the deck of the truck folds up within the container as indicated at M in Figure 2 so that the, lower angle bar ring8 can come down flat on the truck' as indicated.

i The foldable cone I4 is preferably of heavy oiled or otherwise treated canvas and is firmly riveted at its margins to-the container so as to come out above the edge of angle bar 8 and thus when the container is seated on the truck the folds of the fabric cone shaped bottom will extend inwardly over the positioning ring 9 to contact the deck within this ring only. The ring 9 is suitably sealed or calked to prevent water on the outer deck passing under it, and the adjacent deck is preferably drilled with a few drainage holes I5 to care for excess water in heavy rains.

In the center of the conical fabric bottom is a flexible fabric cylindrical neck l6 which serves both as an outlet or discharge spout as well as a closure gate when the filled container is hoisted to position on the truck. This spout-gate is shown in enlarged detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6 and wherein the lower end I6 is riveted between metal rings I1, I8, and the upper end clamped with the lower end of the conical fabric bottom l6 between rings [9 and 20 as by riveting. Ring I8 is of a widthand diameter to overlap or telescope over ring 20.

When the lower ring is manually revolved it twists the fabric spout or neck IE into closed position as shown in plan in Figure 6 at I6, and

when in such condition ring [8 rises to telescope over ring 20 and come adjacent an outer ring 2| also riveted to rings 20, as shown in Figure 5 and in which view ring I8 is shown latched to ring 20 to thus lock the rings together with the flexible spout twisted closed.

To latch the upper and lower rings I preferably provide one or more pins as at 22 projecting from ring 20 and arranged to engage behind a latching lip 23 formed in a bayonet slot 24 formed in ring l8. -While gravity will tend to hold ring [8 in latched position, I maylsupplement the action by the use of one or more springs, or a simple spring wire 25 coiled onc'e about ring 20 and bent in waves to react between the confronting edges of rings 2| and I8. Suitable handles 26 may be secured at points about ring l8 to facilitate twisting to close the chute. Also a striking lug 2] may be welded or otherwise secured to ring l8 adjacent slot 24 so thatthe latched rings may be released by a blow against the lug with a hammer.

When the cement filled container unit as above described is lowered in place on the truck deck the collapsed spout will be centrally positionedin the folded fabric cone bottom H as indicated at I! in Figure 2. L

The general form of the unit container shown in the drawings, being of somewhat greater diameter than total height, and with a conical top insures a low center of gravity as required for road shipments and at the same time provides for structural strength necessary in repeated handling of such containers in a hoist sling.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of its use, it will be apparent to those versed in the art, that variations in detail of construction and proportions of the units may be resorted to as may fall within the spirit of the invention and scope of my appended claims. Also that while I have shown and described ny method and apparatus in connection with the bulk shipment of cement, it may likewise be used for thebulk shipment of similar and other free flowing materials in bulk shipment.

I claim:

1. A portable shipping container for bulk cement or the like comprising a portable rigid tank body having a filling opening on top, a flexible fabric bottom formed to extend conically from the lower end of the tank when the tank is suspended on a hoist, and to fold up within the tank in a manner so that the lower end of the tank will not impinge upon it when the tank is placed upon a supporting surface, and a discharge gate in the outer end of the conical bottom.

2. A portable shipping container'for bulk cement or the like comprising a portable rigid tank body having a filling opening n top, a flexible fabric bottom formed to extend conically from the lower end of the tank when the'tank is suspended on a hoist, and to fold up within the lower end of the tank when the tank is placed upon a supportin surface, and a tubular flexible discharge gate in the outer end of the conical bottom. I Y

3. A portable shipping container for bulk cement or the like comprising a portable rigid tank body having a filling opening on top, a flexible fabric bottom formed to extend conically from the lower end of the tank when same is suspended-on a hoist, and to fold up within the lower end of the tank when the tank is placed 'upon a supporting surface, and a tubular flexible discharge gate in the outer end of the conical bottom arranged and adapted to be closed by twisting to collapse its opening, and means for looking it in twisted closed position.

4. In combination, a portable shipping tank for bulk materials and the deck of a shipping vehicle, said tank provided with hoist sling connections, and formed with a recessed bottom, and said deck provided with an upstanding sill formed to fitwithin the recessed bottom of the tank and position it on said deck, the deck around and adjacent the outer margin of said tank being lower than said sill so that any water on said deck will be below the level of said sill.

5. In combination, a portable shipping tank for bulk materials'and the deck of a shipping vehicle, said tank provided with hoist sling connections, and formed with a recessed bottom, and said deck provided with an upstanding sill formed to fit within the recessed bottom of the tank and position it on said deck, the deck around and adjacent the outer margin of said tank being lower than said sill so that any water on said deck will be below the level of said sill, and water drainage holes in said deck around the outer edge of said tank.

MARK LINTZ. 

